Castles in the Sand / Hello in There Plus Reissue edition

An outlaw pioneer's best work? un-reissued on CD until now. Soulful songs and rock 'n' roll attitude - a sharp contrast to the sterility of today's country music. Include classic hits, such as The Ride and Mona Lisa's Lost Her Smile, as well as a duet with George Jones. Every CD has previously unissued bonus tracks. Essential listening for everyone who loves Waylon, Willie, and the '70s outlaws.

And now we continue our ongoing exploration of the unjustly overlooked David Allan Coe catalog. A life-long renegade, Coe has been one of the most colorful and unpredictable characters in country music? or any music. An outlaw pioneer, he didn't score many big hits, although he wrote several big hits for others? including Would You Lay With Me In A Field Of Stone and Take This Job And Shove It. He was also incredibly prolific: during thirteen years with Columbia Records, he released almost two LPs a year. Here, we focus on the years 1982-1985.

'Castles In The Sand' and 'Hello In There' come from 1983. Critics agree that 'Castles In The Sand' is one of the era's most underrated LPs - and one of the most haunted and strange. Coe wrote just three songs on the album, and co-wrote another. The title track is an autobiographical tribute to Bob Dylan as one of the two most misunderstood artists of his generation -Coe being the other. Coe emulates Dylan's voice throughout the verses and sings in his own on the refrains. It's followed by a funky country reading of Dylan's Gotta Serve Somebody with Lacy J. Dalton. Another highlight: an eerie cover version of the The Ride (a #4 country hit in 1983), in which the ghost of Hank Williams makes an appearance to offer advice. Hello In There has two sides: country and city, and again David Allan Coe mixes his own songs with covers and revivals that reflect his feelings at the time. John Prine's Hello In There, Jerry Butler's He (Will Break Your Heart) and Billy Grammer's Gotta Travel On are standouts.